petrify
verb /ˈpetrɪfaɪ/
/ˈpetrɪfaɪ/
Verb Forms
| present simple I / you / we / they petrify | /ˈpetrɪfaɪ/ /ˈpetrɪfaɪ/ |
| he / she / it petrifies | /ˈpetrɪfaɪz/ /ˈpetrɪfaɪz/ |
| past simple petrified | /ˈpetrɪfaɪd/ /ˈpetrɪfaɪd/ |
| past participle petrified | /ˈpetrɪfaɪd/ /ˈpetrɪfaɪd/ |
| -ing form petrifying | /ˈpetrɪfaɪɪŋ/ /ˈpetrɪfaɪɪŋ/ |
- [transitive] petrify somebody to make somebody feel extremely frightened synonym terrify
- Just the thought of making a speech petrifies me.
- His icy stare petrified her.
- [intransitive, transitive] petrify (something) to change or to make something change into a substance like stone
Word Originlate Middle English: from French pétrifier, from medieval Latin petrificare, from Latin petra ‘rock’, from Greek.